1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and device for mixing and grinding chocolate, fats or the like, wherein a process mass of cacao and/or cacao powder, cacao butter, edible fat, sugar and the like are pre-mixed and ground in a grinding device and a ball mill.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until the present the components for processing were pre-mixed in a pre-mixer and ground in a grinding device. The pre-mixer and grinding device can also be unified to one unit. After grinding the mass is then ground in a ball mill to make it still finer as required until the final desired particle size is obtained.
In a ball mill it is possible to grind the process mass to a very small average particle size and to therein obtain the desired viscosity, although the uniformity in the distribution of the particle size leaves something to be desired. Unless grinding continues to a very small particle size, which is very time-consuming and moreover produces an adverse viscosity value, it can occur that the process mass still has a fraction with particle sizes lying far above the desired value. Such a fraction has an adverse effect on the taste of the final product.